“It’s uncanny” my colleague said “how many conversations I’ve had in the last 3 months that started with ‘Do we need full-blown MES?  Is there a lighter version?  Seems to be top-of-mind these days.”

And so another Brock VLOG was born…

Many of our manufacturing customers have multiple plants around the world.  And it’s safe to say that each of those plants are different.  Some plants come from acquisitions.  Some have been around forever (and have the vintage equipment to prove it).  And some plants are brand new.  Inevitably, this mix of sites also means a mix of technology at the operational layer.  Some have off-the-shelf MES, others use Access and Excel, and still others are wondering what they should do to harness automated functionality like OEE, Recipe Management, Track and Trace and so on.  And then the questions come: “Do I really need MES?” “Can I extend what I have?” “Can’t we just buy some IOT and call it a day?”

As you may suspect, there’s no easy answer but there IS a way to arrive at a practical answer (without studying the problem for months).  And it starts with a clear understanding of what you need, and where the value is.

This VLOG will highlight some of the typical criteria we look at when helping a manufacturer evaluate MES vs. other tools.  If you have similar questions, or want to learn how others are building out their digital operational landscape, we’re happy to share what we’re seeing out there.

Just reach out to info@brocksolutions.com and we’ll start the conversation.